Carl Hilty Biography

Carl Hilty (28 February 1833 – 12 October 1909) was a Swiss philosopher, writer and lawyer. He famously said "Peace is only a hair's breadth away from war." Although a Christian he was no pacifist but expected the coming world war and was also a high officer in Swiss Army. He was married to German wife Johanna Gaertner. Hilty was a spokesman for women's rights to vote and to be elected, many decades before the subject became mainstream. Hilty argued that Switzerland, as a nation-state comprising several nationalities and languages, had a unique mission of demonstrating that a nation-state could transcend tribal tendencies.